According to The Hill, “President Trump on Tuesday moved two controversial pipeline projects forward by signing a pair of executive actions that could speed up approval of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access projects.”
“The actions are a sharp turn from the Obama administration’s policies, as the former president had rejected the Keystone pipeline and delayed Dakota Access.”
“Environmentalists on Tuesday vowed to remobilize the legal and grassroots forces that originally fought against the pipelines during the Obama administration.”
“TransCanada Corp., the company developing Keystone, thanked Trump for his memo.”
Also, TIME reported, “The Trump administration has instituted a media blackout at the Environmental Protection Agency and barred staff from awarding any new contracts or grants.”
“The EPA did not respond to phone calls and emails requesting comment Monday or Tuesday.”
The administration “has also ordered a “temporary suspension” of all new business activities at the department, including issuing task orders or work assignments to EPA contractors. The orders are expected to have a significant and immediate impact on EPA activities nationwide.”
